Smashed Dates (4 ways!)

Date bark meets stuffed dates in a new sweet snack: smashed dates! With a caramel-y base, creamy “nutty” middle, and salted chocolate shell. Or get creative with a crunchy, fruity, or high protein option!

SPONSORED BY SUNBUTTER

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Between the date bark trend and it’s myriad of variations over the past year and the not-new but recently re-loved idea of stuffed dates, medjool dates are really have a moment right now. But there is something about this lesser known SMASHED date concept that really appeals to me. It takes the flattened format of date bark and creates an almost a cookie-like shape with just one date instead of a whole pan. Pair that with the single-serve size of a stuffed date that allows you to create YOUR perfect bite with whatever add-ins you like and just the amount of chocolate and salt on top that your heart desires. It’s the best of both worlds, and I find it to be the least messy to make too!

How Do You Make Smashed Dates?

The concept is pretty self-explanatory – you slice a date lengthwise, remove the pit, and then smash it. Getting the shape just right takes a bit of practice, but you are going for as close to a circle as possible and a little bit of concavity in the middle helps too. Using moist, fresh dates will make this easiest, and create the gooiest most delicious taste experience too. After the smashing part, the rest of this recipe is really flexible and open to creativity. But I am going to share a very basic, very delicious template to start you off with and some variation ideas towards the end of this post too.

The Basic Four Ingredients

Gooey, creamy, snappy, salt. Those are the important layers here, and we are creating that with:

• Medjool dates. These will work best, other varieties are smaller and harder to work with for this recipe. Fresh, soft, and moist dates are ideal, but if yours are a bit dried out don’t worry it will still work.
• Favorite nut or seed butter. Which for me obviously means SunButter! I used their classic Creamy variety because it’s just the right amount of sweet and of course so delicious and smooth.
• Dark chocolate. Or semi-sweet, but personally I prefer the snap and flavor of dark. A high quality bar melted down will yield the best flavor, but chips will work too.
• Flakey salt. The perfect garnish for this sweet treat.

How To Make Smashed Dates Step-by-Step

Step 1: Pit the dates. Make a slit lengthwise down one side of each date and remove the pit. Then you want to sort of pull the date open a bit in the middle, but keep the top and bottom close so it creates a circular nest-shape (photos below). Repeat for as many dates as you want to smash, and place them all on a pan lined with wax paper.

Step 2: Smash the dates. I like to use a mason jar for this, but any heavy glass will work. You do either need to spray or oil it or cover with a sheet of wax paper otherwise it will stick to the dates. Smash them down firmly, you are going for about 1/4 inch thickness.

Step 3: Add the SunButter. The ideal consistency is thick but will drip off a spoon on its own, so if your SunButter is too thick I recommend microwaving it for 15 seconds or so to make this step easier. You want the SunButter to remain in the middle of each date without running off, you can manually reshape the dates a bit to make a bit of a bowl shape.

Step 4: Add the melted chocolate. You can chill the dates before this step to firm up the SunButter somewhat and make the chocolate coating harden faster. I do not recommend adding coconut oil to the chocolate when melting in this case, you want it to be a bit thick so again it won’t run off the dates. Spoon a thin layer of chocolate over top of the SunButter, almost completely coating. After the chocolate is partially set, add the flakey salt to each.

Variations: Crunchy, Fruity, High Protein, and More

There are no rules or limits to what you can add to these yummy little bites. But I wanted to kick off your creativity by sharing a few variations I’ve tried and loved.

• Add cereal! This is probably my favorite variation, the CRUNCH of cereal accentuates these mostly chewy/creamy smashed dates so well. Crispy rice is an obvious choice a la crunch bar style, but puffed cereals or O cereals or flake cereals or even granola are all delicious additions. I recommend adding it on top of the SunButter before the chocolate.
• Add fruit! You could add fresh or frozen fruit, but then you will either have to keep your smashed dates frozen or accept the messiness that comes with fruit juices at fridge temp. So I opted for freeze dried fruit layered in. It still adds a fun flavor addition, but no mess.
• Add protein! You can jazz up the SunButter layer with TWO forms of protein: yogurt and protein powder. Stir up SunButter, greek or dairy-free yogurt, and your favorite vanilla protein powder and then layer this between the smashed dates and chocolate. It creates a thicker almost froyo-ish texture too that’s very delicious.
• And more! Almonds or peanuts added for a candy-bar like version. SunButter cookie dough in the middle instead of just SunButter. White chocolate instead of dark and sprinkles on top for a funfetti vibe. Endless ideas…

More Easy Date Snacks You’ll Love

• Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
• Healthy No-Bake Fudge
• Almond Cookie Dough Bites
• Date-sweetened Crunchy Granola

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